Electromagnetic waves are generally thought to have an adverse effect on the health of human beings, or at least the potential to cause such an adverse effect. Electromagnetic waves emanating from electric power transmission lines or transformers have been found to adversely affect the health of human beings, although the mechanism whereby electromagnetic waves adversely affect the human body is not well understood.
Electromagnetic waves are natural or man-made. Very high-frequency electromagnetic waves have been shown to emanate from the Earth. The original source, or cause, of these electromagnetic waves has not been identified. However, this electromagnetic radiation does appear to result from natural causes. It appears that these high-frequency electromagnetic waves typically are directed in a direction which is substantially orthogonal to the Earth's surface, if there is nothing present in the Earth's crust to disturb the electromagnetic waves. However, these electromagnetic waves appear to be affected by different materials (e.g., underground running water, or cavities, or certain types of mineral deposits), which can distort or disturb the electromagnetic waves (as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B). These disturbed and/or distorted parts of the electromagnetic waves (collectively hereinafter referred to as “streams of distorted high-frequency electromagnetic radiation”) are of particular concern because they appear to have an adverse effect upon the human body, as will be described.
The streams of distorted high-frequency electromagnetic radiation are parts of very high-frequency electromagnetic waves (e.g., approximately 150 GHz or greater), and they appear to be relatively widespread. Typical structures (e.g., houses, or office buildings) are substantially transparent to these electromagnetic waves. This is in contrast to, for example, the shielding effect a structure can exhibit relative to a low-frequency electromagnetic wave.
The streams of distorted high-frequency electromagnetic radiation also appear generally to be characterized by generally small wavelengths (e.g., microwaves or nanowaves). However, as these streams of distorted electromagnetic radiation can also be modulated by longer-wavelength electromagnetic waves, it is possible that these streams can be characterized by somewhat longer wavelengths in these circumstances.
As is well known, the Earth has a magnetic field operational between the north pole and the south pole. However, as the lines of magnetic force are virtually parallel to the Earth's surface, these streams of high-frequency electromagnetic waves do not appear to be directly related to the Earth's magnetic field.
FIG. 1A shows an underground anomaly 10 which disturbs the electromagnetic waves 11 to produce streams of distorted high-frequency electromagnetic radiation 12, 13, and 14. The strength, or intensity, of each of the streams 12, 14 generally appears to be approximately one-third of the intensity of the stream 13. Also, each of the streams 12, 14 has a path 15, 16 respectively deviating from a path 17 of the stream 13 by approximately 45°.
As can be seen in FIG. 1A, the electromagnetic waves 11 apparently move generally outwardly from the Earth's center, in the direction indicated by arrow “A”. The streams 12, 13, and 14 have well-defined edges, or sides, which appear to be related to the extent of the anomaly 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 1A, the stream 12 has sides 18, 19; the stream 13 has sides 21, 23; and the stream 14 has sides 25, 27. The path 17 of the stream 13 is substantially orthogonal to the Earth's surface 29. A schematic diagram showing the manner in which the electromagnetic waves 11 are thought to emanate in a direction radially outward from the Earth's center until disturbed is provided in FIG. 1B.
FIG. 1C provides an isometric view in which the streams 12, 13, and 14 are shown. In FIG. 1D, the significance of the directions of the streams 12, 13, and 14 can be seen. A structure 33 is shown in FIG. 1D which is located substantially on or at the Earth's surface 29. In this example, the stream 12 is shown to pass through the structure 33 at different levels.
As can be seen in FIGS. 1C and 1D, the streams 12, 13 and 14 are three-dimensional regions which are downstream (i.e., relative to the electromagnetic radiation 11) from the anomaly 10. In these streams 12, 13, and 14, the electromagnetic radiation 11 appears to be distorted, relative to the electromagnetic radiation 11 upstream from the anomaly 10. Accordingly, electromagnetic fields which are also distorted are created by these streams of distorted electromagnetic radiation. The distortions apparently are caused by the anomaly 10.
It will also be understood that, for illustration, only one anomaly 10 has been shown. However, in many cases, there are a number of streams passing through the structure. For example, FIG. 1E shows a house plan (for one level of a house 35) in which a large number of streams of distorted high-frequency electromagnetic radiation 37 are present. FIG. 1E shows the intersection of the streams 37 with the floor of the house 35. (For clarity of illustration, element numbers for only a few of the streams 37 are provided in FIG. 1E. The numbers in circles in FIG. 1E represent different intensities based on a scale 41 provided in FIG. 1E.) It is thought that, where several streams of distorted electromagnetic fields are present, they are due to a number of anomalies in the Earth's crust in the vicinity of the house. Typically, the streams appear to have different intensities, for example, as indicated by the numbers in circles in FIG. 1E.
In summary, and as can be seen in FIG. 1E, the streams of distorted electromagnetic radiation appear to be very sharply-defined, in contrast to the typically somewhat ill-defined boundaries of electromagnetic fields generally. Also, each stream appears to have a path in a clearly-defined direction. This indicates that the streams are the result of a distorting, or disturbing, obstacle (i.e., an anomaly) which acts to distort the electromagnetic radiation in a fashion similar to a stone in a stream, to create a downstream zone shadowing the obstacle, in which the wave patterns are disturbed. However, it will be understood that the foregoing is only a plausible description of natural phenomena in respect of which more research is required.
In “An Evaluation of the Possible Risks from Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMFs) from Power Lines, Internal Wiring, Electrical Occupations, and Appliances” (Final Report, June 2002), the California EMF Program (California Electric Magnetic Fields Program, a project of the California Department of Health Services and the Public Health Institute) concluded:                1. that man-made electromagnetic fields can be harmful to the human body; and        2. that exposures of 2-16 milligauss are substantially equally harmful.The Final Report is available at:        
www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/deode/ehib/emf/RiskEvaluation/riskeval.html.
FIG. 1F is a graph 45 showing the California EMF Program's conclusions regarding the probabilities of certain illnesses occurring due to man-made electromagnetic radiation.
As illustrated schematically in FIG. 2, power lines 43 emanate streams 45 of man-made electromagnetic radiation. The Final Report indicates that such streams 45 are, or at least can be, harmful to humans. Also, as schematically shown in FIG. 3, a number of abnormal electromagnetic fields 47 are generated in connection with the supply of electricity to residences 49 (and to commercial premises), which abnormal electromagnetic fields may have adverse effects upon the health of those living in the residences.
As is known, an electromagnetic wave traveling in free space in a direction of propagation has an electric field component (“E”) and a magnetic field component (“H”) (FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 4, the electric field component and the magnetic field component are generally perpendicular (or substantially perpendicular) to each other, and they are usually also perpendicular (or substantially perpendicular) to the direction of propagation.
As noted above, a mechanistic explanation of the effects of the streams of distorted high-frequency electromagnetic waves has not been developed. One possible explanation for the apparently harmful effects of man-made electromagnetic radiation is that the human body's immune system is activated to resist such radiation because it is inconsistent with the electromagnetic radiation which the immune system recognizes as normal.
Similarly, it is possible that the distortion of the electromagnetic radiation apparently caused by anomalies in the Earth is, like man-made electromagnetic radiation, identified by the immune system as foreign. According to this theory, the human body's immune system reacts to the distortions in the electromagnetic radiation by activating itself, i.e., the immune system recognizes distorted high-frequency electromagnetic radiation as anomalous, i.e., a “foreign” influence inside the body, and therefore is activated to defend against this potentially harmful “intruder”.
If the foregoing is accurate, then the distortions in the streams of distorted electromagnetic radiation have an effect on the immune system which is very much like the effect of man-made electromagnetic fields. The distortions of high-frequency electromagnetic radiation result in stress on the immune system because the distortions differ from the typical, natural electromagnetic radiation which, due to evolution over many years, does not cause activation of the immune system. According to this theory, it is the distortions of the electromagnetic radiation, rather than the electromagnetic radiation itself, which is harmful, or potentially harmful.
Activation of the immune system appears to be substantially constant while a subject is in a distorted high-frequency electromagnetic field, and frequent and repeated exposure apparently tends to have a cumulative effect. Ultimately, this stress can result in the immune system becoming less able to respond to other threats, such as infections or other foreign agents which cause illness. Because of the weakening of the immune system, the subject's body is more seriously affected by illnesses which it might otherwise be able to resist.
There is therefore a need for a device which overcomes or mitigates one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art.